1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to ejectors for electrical card connectors for connecting cards, such as PC cards, to connectors within equipment and, particularly, to an ejector for an electrical card connector with a mechanism for preventing accidental ejection of a card.
2. Description of the Related Art
Such an electrical card connector is provided with an ejection mechanism for ejecting a card at will. The release mechanism comprises an ejector bar depressed by the user toward the equipment and an ejector lever for receiving the depressing force from the ejector bar and changing the direction of the force to push the card in the ejection direction.
The ejector bar is provided with a press button which projects from the equipment so that the user can push the press button to operate the ejector bar. Since the press button projects from the equipment, it can be depressed by accident to eject the card which is being used. Accordingly, a few mechanisms to prevent it have been proposed.
Japanese patent application Kokai No. 7-335317 discloses an accidental ejection preventive mechanism such as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. In FIG. 7(A), an ejector bar 51 is depressed in the direction of an arrow 52 at a time of ejection of a card so that a press button 54 is provided at the rear end of a pressed section 53. The press button 54 is movable laterally with respect to the pressed section 53. In FIG. 7(B), when a card C is inserted, the press button is moved laterally to an engagement position where it is abutted against the rear edge of the card C. Thus, it prevents an accidental ejection of the card C.
The above Japanese patent also discloses a rotatable press button. In FIG. 8(A), a rotatable press button 57 is provided at the pressed section 55 of an ejector bar with a pin 56. It is parallel to the pressed section 55 at a time of insertion or ejection of a card as shown in FIG. 8(A) and at right angles with the pressed section 55 at a time of completion of the insertion as shown in FIG. 8(B). It prevents ejection of the card at the right-angle position. The pressed section 55 and the press button 57 are provided with lock apertures 55A and 55B and lock projections 57A and 57B, respectively, so that the lock projections 57A and 57B engage the lock apertures 55A and 55B, respectively, to hold the parallel and right-angle positions of the press button in FIGS. 8(A) and 8(B), respectively.
In the above Japanese patent, by simply moving the press button to the operational position of the ejector bar it is possible to bring the card to the ejection position where the card is inserted or ejected at will.
When it is at the engagement position to prevent the card ejected, however, it is at the rear end of the card and projects from the equipment. It is so large that the user can depress with a finger. The projection of such a press button not only prevents miniaturization of the equipment but also causes accidental ejection of the card.